How to add water when doing a water change...

I just started thinking about this recently...

When doing a water change and getting ready to add new water into your aquarium, in what order would you do the following:

1) add new water to tank, then add your Prime or other water conditioner?

2) add Prime to bucket of new water before pouring into tank

3) add Prime to bucket of new water, let sit for a specific time, then pour into tank?

I ask because I figure that even though choice #1 would probably not harm your fish, considering your tank is already cycled properly, wouldn't it actually kill off alot of beneficial bacteria because of the chlorine and other stuff in the new water?


PART II

Also, has anyone tried this, or does this even make sense?

Let's say you do a 50/50 water change... take that old water you took from the tank, strain it through some fine cheese cloth or a coffee filter, which theoretically would catch all the beneficial bacteria, and then after you add the new, conditioned, safe water, you can then place the beneficial bacteria collected in the filter back in the tank.

Does that make sense, or is that just crazy talk?

i add the prime then the water to the take the prime works instantly
and your filter hold enough benefical bacteria so does your substrate so there really no need to do that

Yeah add the water condition then add water...or better yet set up a large trash can with treated water then add it to tank after water changes...

Cheesecloth and coffee filters will grab some trash and a little bacteria, but you really need a micro filter to pull bacteria from water. By using cheescloth you are just grabbing more tank waste and putting it back into your tank defeating the purpose of doing a water change.

bcijoe wrote:

Let's say you do a 50/50 water change... take that old water you took from the tank, strain it through some fine cheese cloth or a coffee filter, ...

I used to wonder about this, too. Just recently I read an article in a magazine which said that the old time aquarists used to do this but it was to reuse the water. They believed very much in "old water" and never threw any out. The cheesecloth was used to strain out dirt and debris from the water, not the good bacteria. My understanding is that very little beneficial bacteria reside in the water. Most good bacteria live on tank surfaces, in the filter media, on the biowheels, etc. Organic debris floating in the water may have some good bacteria growing on it, but it degrades water quality by adding organics to the water, which may not be wanted.

bcijoe wrote:

1) add new water to tank, then add your Prime or other water conditioner?

If you use this method, you have to add the Prime (or other) right away so that the fish don't come in prolonged contact with the unconditioned water. Besides chlorine or chloramine, municipal tap water also has ammonia and certain heavy metals, which the conditioner will neutralize.

I use a Python water changer on my biggest tank. During the refill, I drip the water conditioner in a little at a time. That's the only way I can think of to distribute it evenly. Probably not necessary. A lot of folks add it all at once.

Deb

Most of the bacteria in your tank is in your filter or substrate. So changing water even with a gravel cleaner should not remove enough bacteria to make a difference in its abiilty to process ammonia/noitrogen. Even doing a complete change in the tank as long as the gravel and filter stayed wet i set it back up after I moved and the fish were fine no spikes in water quality.

When i worked in a pet store years ago we would polish our tanks by running the water thru a system of filters then put the water back in the tanks. No where near R/O quality but it did remove some of the free floating algae/fish by products in the water. Boss later said it was a waste of time, so we went back just to doing regular water changes.

The comments about the bacteria more than anything else pretty much answered my question, thanks alot for all the replies.

Since most of the bacteria is NOT in the water itself, then when doing changes on my 125g, and replacing 20g-30g of water one 5g bucket at a time, if I forget to dose one bucket with conditioner, it won't destroy alot of bacteria, which was mostly what prompted this post... that was the main thought.

I usually dose each bucket after I have filled it completely and before putting it into the tank, figuring it would be most effective on the water it actually needs to treat.


Although this was very interesting, and a bit shocking:
Elrollo -> Even doing a complete change in the tank as long as the gravel and filter stayed wet i set it back up after I moved and the fish were fine no spikes in water quality.


So since the bacteria will mostly live on surfaces, then if I wanted to seed a new tank to shorten cycling time, I could just place the new filter pads I will be using into the established tank, and the bacteria should grow on this new filter pad, so when it is then transfered into the new filter and on the new tank, their should already be a good culture started. Yes?

I did read that excelent post on Cycling tanks, just don't remember this exact example mentioned.

I used to pour water in a 5gl bucket, put the conditioner then add it in the tank, but now i switched to well water!!

I just add the tap water to the tank and when I'm finished then just add the prime or another water conditioner.If I do a little water change say like 10% or no more than 20% than I don't add any conditioner at all.Even when I top off my tanks I don't add any condtioner.Now if I change more than 20% of the water than yes I do add water conditioner to the tank after I get through filling it up.That is the way I've been doing it for over 20 years now and I do not have a problem or have ever had a problem doing it this way.

Yes to cycle a tank quickly alot of people recommend adding established gravel/filter material. You can also try bacteria boost products...I know seachem makes one that has the bacteria in a liquid.

The only problem with liquid bacteria is if it has not been stored properly the bacteria is dead and costs a bundle usually.

Prime then water if I'm being lazy and using the garden hose. I also have a trash can for pre trearing my water, the safer way imo.
Ya nearly all the bacteria is on sufaces like the others said.
I 'kick start' a tank by stealing sand, filter and decor from an established tank. You probably noticed the extra filters and sand n such in my tanks. I like having colonated stuff to steal when I need to toss together a new tank.

I have several 1 gallon jugs i use for my water changes. I fill them up then treat them with the water conditioner the day before i do the water change. this way 100% of all the chlorine is gone plus it gives plenty of time for the water to go to room temp so its not to cold or warm when you add it to your aquarium.

I have been spoiled.... I dont add any water conditioner to my water.... I pull the water hose in the house and fill the tanks up; but I also have a water filtration system that we put in the house right after we got here three years ago. Now when we move to Missouri, I will have to use the water conditioner, so I would probably fill a five gallon bucket and put the conditioner in it then dump it in the tanks.